The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-19

Three others came down in the same manner.
and then the fifth girl started down. She had
almost completed the distance when the rope
parted, and down she went the four stories to
the ground, but strange to say she was not
killed. Her legs were terribly cut and bruised,
her back badly injured, and her face and arms
were in frightful condition from burns. She
lay moaning upon lounge at the Spencer
House. begging to be sent home. Her name
is said to be Mary Connell, of All Hamburg
street.
A. Fl. Bowen, Of Tonawanda said: 81 was
on the third floor with ]. T. McCurdy, of Dams
vile. Our room was 15l, front We escaped
in our night shirts. I went back for my watch
and came near being burned to death. Thank
God, am not hurt"
One Of the saddest incidents Of the confagra-
tion was the fall of man from a window to the
roof of the frame structure adjoining on Main
street, heretofore mentioned. He was William
Purcell, Of this city, local agent OF Bradstreets
He must have been severely burned internally
In falling he struck on his head and died e >st
instantly.
Mr. and Mrs. VIM j. Mann, part pro
tors of the hotel had narrow escapes. Mrs.
Mann frightfully burned about the head,
arms and legs, and lay screaming in a lawyers
Office across the street She was screaming
with pain and calling for her little daughter
Jennie. do something to stop the pain,' she
cried; "Oh l shall die" Mrs Mann is the
daughter Of DR.. Strong Of this city
The last persons taken alive from the
burning bnilding were two domestics who were
rescued from the southern end of the fifth floor
by brave fremen on the extension ladder Min
| ME Stone, domestic. declared that there was
no one left on the fifth floor when she left it,
| VIM. j. McKee, of New York, and VIM. P.
| Lamb, of New York. occupied rooms on the
| fourth and third floors, respectively Both were
| awakened by the glare, and made their escape
| by means of the fire escape.
Mr.. Spencer. of Syracuse, escaped in his night
shirt. his hands, face and neck being badly
| burned He walked to Johnsons drug store,
| and was treated for his burns.
| In front of Dingen Bros. store lay dead
man. covered by a mattress He had black hair
and a full face. which was covered with blood
and could not be recognized. He had jumped
| from window. At first it was thought he
| Superintendent Morford of the Michigan Cen
| trail railroad. but Morford was afterward found.
Mark Osborne, day clerk, and assistant mar
| ager of the hotel, is missing. He slept on the
south side. 1t is believed he perished.
J. Fl. Van Buren, of Dunkirk. was in an in
side room. and could not get out. He gave him
| self up for lost, and want back to his bed to
meet his fate At the last minute, however, the
| fremen broke through and carried him out.
One man hung outside of window-sill for
four minutes while the fire burned in his room
! When rescued by the firemen he tainted
| Hugo Altshul, of New York. assisted num-
| Der of women and rescued them from the burn
ing building. lie then made bis own escape by
! leaping from one building to another until he
| reached the Washington House, corner of
Washington and North Division streets. He
was found to have a sprained ankle, both feet
| badly blistered, and slight body bruises.
orno al Univ iyhf nO1r ut hn ,1&k
Office, cot into the hotel soon after the fire broke
out. He saved man who coming down
stairs in his night Clothes and who was pros
| trated by the flames and smoke. After getting
MIN out he returned and tried to rescue young
girl from room on the third floor, but she was
| lost in the fire. Mcclure says: ut was terrible
| to hear her cries. For some reason she could
not open the door, and was unable to break it
| in. Finally / was driven away by the fire and
| smoke and had TO leave her to her fate. / could
only tell from the voice, but | suppose she was a
young girl. anywhere from ten to fifteen years
or so. She was IN room on the third floor, fla c.
| ing on Main street"
S. H. Humes. travelling man for Irlbacher &
| Davis occupied a room the third floor. He
was awakened by the electric bells. and, after
| arousing several people on the same floor,
jumped through window to the kitchen roof
| There everything was in flames. After bidding
goodbye to several others the same roof be
made rush for the Eagle street door. going
| through the kitchen skylight and out tnrou Oh
the kitchen roof, and thinks they must all have
perished, as they did not attempt to follow him
through the flames II thought it was almost
certain DEATH" he said, but it was certain death
to remain. One of the men | called before
jumping was tying his cravat and angry
with me for my intrusion until told him the
house was on fire. The then fed through
the window on to the kitchen roof, with'nothing
on but his shirt and cravatn Mr. Humes was
in his shirt. and was uniniured, save a few
burns on his feet and limbs.
Mr. Stafford proprietor of the hotel tells the
following story: .'Our room was on the south
end and we dropped down on to the roof of the
frame building. My wife wanted me to &c
through the hail, but locked the door and pu
the key into my pocket. Then jumped and she
sprang into my arms. We were awakened by
the electric bells, and if they had not beer
turned on promptly there would have been
terrible loss Of life. The bells awakened every
body in the house. When I got out of my room
it was useless to attempt to escape through tn,
hallway / think the loss of life is less thar
some estimates l have heard. There are prob
ably not more than six persons dead"
Chief Hornung, of the fire department. said:
"The number OF people rescued is about twenty
to twenty five. We did all we could to rescue
them. We got two streams into the corridor o
, the hotel and at that moment the flames wer
shooting up that big staircase and elevator az
beyond the reach of the hose We tried to play
both streams upward on the fire, but there wa
, SO much screaming by guests and calls for hel,
from the windows that we called off most of th
men from the hose and let the building go for
while, giving all attention to the ladders
Damn the building yelled, save the people,
and the boys helped man the ladders on the ont
side putting up two on the Main street side ans
the short ones on Eagle street There was nee,
of it, too. 1t was horrible sight to see then
jumping from every side. The cool-headed one
were rescued all right. but some would no
wait"
Among the many brave deeds of the hreme,
was one deserving of special mention. Distric
Engineer Edward Murphy was on ladder res
cuing some of the occupants of the hotel. On,
; of the female domestics appeared at an urpe
window. apparently frantic with terror Murrh,